1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a lens barrel having an image-stabilizing insertable/removable optical element which can be moved to correct image shake and removed to a position outside an anti-shake driving range of the optical element.
2. Description of the Related Art
There has been an increasing number of optical devices such as cameras which are equipped with an anti-shake mechanism (image-stabilizing mechanism/shake reduction mechanism/image stabilizing mechanism) that moves a specific optical element such as a lens element or an image sensor (image pickup device) in a plane orthogonal to an optical axis of an optical system to reduce (correct) image shake. In Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2007-101993, a technique for removing (radially retracting) an image-stabilizing optical element to a position outside an anti-shake driving range (to a position off an optical axis of the optical system) when an optical device that incorporates the anti-shake mechanism moves from an operating state to a lens barrel accommodated state (fully retracted state/non-operating state) in which no pictures are taken, has been proposed for the purpose of making a lens barrel compact in size.
In the lens barrel disclosed in the aforementioned Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication, an image-stabilizing insertable/removable optical element is held by an insertable/removable frame which is supported to be rotatable about a rotational axis parallel to the optical axis by an anti-shake frame that is driven to correct image shake, and a pair of anti-shake drive actuators (electromagnetic actuators), the directions of driving forces (thrust) of which are made at right angles to each other, are used to drive the anti-shake frame. However, the pair of anti-shake drive actuators shown in the aforementioned Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication may interfere with the image-stabilizing insertable/removable optical element when the insertable/removable frame is driven to rotate (swing) between an insertion position, at which the image-stabilizing insertable/removable optical element is positioned on said optical axis, and a removed position, at which the image-stabilizing insertable/removable optical element is removed from the optical axis. Accordingly, the configuration of the pair of anti-shake drive actuators has been an obstacle in achieving miniaturization of the lens barrel and/or an obstacle to increasing the size of the pair of anti-shake drive actuators (in order to improve the image stabilization capability).